Storeage battery terminal



Dec. 11, 1951 E. L. LONGAKER STORAGE BATTERY TERMINAL Filed March 5, 1947 INVENTOR 0am LAYTQN 1.0mm

N MM TTORaY FIG- 2 Patented Dec. 11, 1951 STORAGE BATTERY TERMINAL Edgar Layton Longaker, Collegeville, Pa., assignor to The Electric Storage Battery Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application March 5, 1947, Serial No. 732,613

4 Claims. 1 This invention relates to improvements in bat tery terminals, and particularly to improvements in terminals of the type anchored to battery containers.

Terminals of the anchored type are employed in batteries in which posts do not have sufiicient mechanical strength to withstand torques or other stresses to which they are normally subjected. Preferably such terminals are designed to transmit forces directly to container walls.

An object of the invention is to provide im- 1 proved terminals of the anchored type suitable for use with containers of virtually any material and the anchoring of which does not noticeably weaken the containers.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved anchoring or hold-down means for fixving'battery terminals to containers, such means including key and slot connections, thereby eliminating the need for screw-threaded fastening means, which are impractical for containers of such material as glass or the like, and which may 'fseriously weaken containers of such material as hard rubber or the like.

Other objects of the invention are to provide battery terminals of the anchored type designed to facilitate assembly of terminals with containers and parts, only puddling operations being re quired to complete the assembly after the terminals are positioned; and to provide improved battery terminals of the anchored type which may be designed to furnish a shrinkage grip on walls in the direction in which stresses are applied to the terminals.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, I have provided improved details of structure, preferred forms of which are shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is an elevational view of a portion of a battery container having installed thereon a terminal embodying features of the present in vention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the container and terminal shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an exploded sectional view illustrating the manner of assembling the terminal with a container and post, the view through the terminal being taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an elevational view similar to Figure 1, but showing a modified construction; and i Figure 5 is an exploded sectional view illustrating the manner of assembling the terminal of Figure 4 with a container and post, the view through the terminal being taken substantially on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring more in detail to the drawing:

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 there is shown at ID a portion of a battery container which may be of any usual design or of any suitable material, as for example, glass, hard rubber, or synthetic resin. The container includes vertical walls H and 12 disposed at right angles to each other and a cover 13. In the construction illustrated, cover I 3 has an upstanding annular flange it through which passes a post it: connected to battery electrodes and adapted to receive a terminal.

The terminals of Figures 1, 2 and 3 is formed as a single casting l6, preferably of a readily fusible metal, such as lead or lead alloy. In Figure 2 the casting is shown as being cast about a stud ll which is screw-threaded for attachment of an electrical conductor to the terminal. However, it is obvious that the means employed for connection of a conductor to the terminal may be varied as desired without departing from the invention.

As illustrated in Figure 2, casting 16 includes a horizontally disposed body I8, from which stud l1 projects. One end of body it is bifurcated, as indicated at E5, to receive post l5. A ke 2-0 projects perpendicularly downward from the opposite end of body it and terminates in an enlarged head 2! (Figure 1). Intermediate its length key 26 has a horizontally disposed shoulder 22 adapted to engage the upper edge of wall H.

Wall 1 I has a slot or keyway 23 in its external face extending down from its upper edge and adapted to receive key 29. Said keyway may be molded in the wall or, if preferred, out therein after the wall is molded. The key and keyway are of such design that the key may be inserted from the open side of the keyway but upward thrusts applied to the terminal force the key head against edges of the keyway. In Figures 1, 2 and 3 I have shown head 2| of the key as circular in outline and the keyway of complementary configuration, but it is obvious that such outline may be varied as desired.

As best shown in Figure 3, the terminal is positioned by inserting key 20 into keyway 23 from the open side of the latter and by placing bifurcated portion i9 about post l5. The edge of wall I l is received snugly between key head 2| and shoulder 22. Assembly is then completed by puddling the connection between the post and the bifurcated portion of the terminal, as indicated at 24, Figure 2. Such puddling may be performed by any suitable process known in the art.

Figures 4 and 5 show a modified construction in which the terminal is cast in two pieces, the

key head being cast separately from the re- The terminal of Figure 4 and 5 includes a main casting 25 and a separate key head casting 26. The end of casting 25 adjacent the post preferably has a circular socket 2'! adapted to receive said post. Key head casting 26 is shown as being of crescent shape, a design that conserves metal, but it is obvious that this shape can be varied as desired. The key section of casting 25 has horizontal shoulders 28 adapted to bear against the upper edges of the container wall. Except as specifically described; the terminal is similar to that of Figures 1, 2 and 3.

After castings 25 and 26 are positioned, they are puddled together, as indicated at 29, Figure 4, to provide a shrinkage grip of the wall between key head 26 and shoulders 28. Casting 25 is puddled to the post to complete the assembly.

It is seen that in both constructions illustrated the terminal is anchored to the battery container wall by a key that fits into a keyway, which may be cast or otherwise formed in said wall. Thus stresses applied to the terminal are transmitted to the battery case walls, and not to the battery cover or posts, and this arrangement does not require screw-threaded fastening means, such as are undesirable in battery walls.

While I have illustrated but certain embodiments of the present invention, it is apparent that the structure is subject to modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore I do not wish to be limited by the disclosure set forth, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a battery container wall and post, a terminal cast in two pieces, one of said pieces comprising a body secured to said post, means on said body for connection with an electrical conductor, and a key section depending from said body and having shoulder means, the other of said pieces forming a key head, said wall having a keywayreceiving said key section and said key head, said key section and said key head being puddled together in said keyway, said key head and said shoulder means providing a shrinkage grip on a portion of said wall.

2. In combination with a battery container wall and post, a terminal cast in two pieces, one of said pieces comprising a body secured to said post, means on said body for connection with an electrical conductor, and a key section depending from said body and having shoulder means, the other of said pieces forming a key head, said wall having a keyway in an external face extending downwardly from the upper edge and receiving said key section and said key head, said shoulder means bearing on the upper edge of said wall, said key section and key head being puddled together, whereby said shoulder means and said key head provide a shrinkage grip on the portion of the wall therebetween.

3. In combination with a battery container wall and post, a terminal comprising a body secured to said post, means on said body for connection with an electricalconductor, and a key depending from said body, said wall having a keyway receiving said key, portions of said key providing a shrinkage grip on a portion of said wall.

4. In a storage battery including a container, a cover and terminal post projecting through said cover, means for transmitting stresses exerted on said terminal posts and cover to the container walls, said means comprising keys associated with said posts and keyways in said container walls receiving said keys, a portion of each of said keyways being subjected to a shrinkagegrip by said keys.

EDGAR LAYTON LONGAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of .record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS .Number Name Date 1,108,883 Bijur Sept. 1, 1914 1,175,651 Marko Mar. 14, 1916 1,829,935 Klock Nov. 3, 1931 1,983,611 Jackson Dec. 11, 1934 2,132,793 Kyle Oct. 11, 1938 2,387,590 Koenig et a1 Oct. 23, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 28,579 Great Britain of 1906 647,289 France July 30, 1928 

